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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24461176">The Days Between Fridays</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrynightshade/pseuds/starrynightshade'>starrynightshade</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Modern AU Collection [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Song of Ice and Fire &amp; Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, E rating for chapter 4, F/M, Fluff, Parenthood, minor Ned/Cat, minor Shireen/Rickon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:53:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,676</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24461176</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrynightshade/pseuds/starrynightshade</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of scenes from my Friday I'm in Love Universe.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Arya Stark &amp; Gendry Waters, Arya Stark/Gendry Waters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Modern AU Collection [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553329</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>210</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. His Eyes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>Arya rolled her eyes as the giggling on the other side of the wall amplified. She was trying to finish The Great Gatsby for her English class, but that was easier said than done with Jeyne and Sansa giggling like a couple of idiots just a few feet away. She could see Sansa’s feet swinging off the edge of the bed through the fireplace and figured Jeyne was probably behind her on the bed, braiding her long hair or twisting it up into a bun.</p><p></p><div class="">
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Okay, but his friend is kind of hot though, right?”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Gendry? I guess… if you’re into the strong and silent type.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Arya wished her sister were the silent type. She pulled closed the curtains on her bed, blocking out most of the light but none of the sound. She could still hear Sansa’s voice as she and her friend kept chatting.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Okay but have you seen his arms? Yummy,” Jeyne carried on. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Not exactly a shining personality,” Sansa scoffed, causing Jeyne to giggle once more.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Fuck it.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Arya slammed her book shut and threw it down on the bed, not bothering to hide her annoyance as she stomped out of the room. Jeyne and Sansa watched her go, as if they had only just remembered that she had been tucked away in her little turret. Arya would have killed for an actual door and a solid wall without a double-sided fireplace in it, if only for a little bit of peace and quiet. Instead she found herself fleeing her own bedroom again just to try and get a little peace.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It wasn’t hard to find her way up the stairs in the dark. She could hear Rickon and Lyanna playing as she passed his door, They should really be asleep, but it was spring break and they were bound to be wrapped up in the excitement.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She didn’t bother knocking when she reached her oldest brothers’ room, just pushed the door open and walked right in. Because of the age of the manor, it had an odd layout. The actual bedroom fed into a sitting room at the front of the house, so it was more like two rooms than one. The larger of the two, which Rob and Theon shared, was empty so Arya wandered into the former sitting area that served as Jon’s room. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Robb, Jon, Theon, and Gendry were splayed across Jon’s rug with cards in their hands and three spoons between them.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...just take one when I have four?”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You can’t just grab it,” Robb said in response to Gendry’s question. “You’ve got to be sneaky.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Or quick,” Theon added, snatching one of the spoons from the center and laughing when Jon and Robb grabbed the other two before Gendry even knew what had happened. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Or both,” Arya said, strutting into the room and wedging herself between Jon and Robb. “Deal me in so i can show him how it’s done.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Theon finished collecting everyone’s cards and began to shuffle them, then placed them into five different stacks. “I thought you were working on your sacred sisterhood journey or whatever.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Arya rolled her eyes. Her relationship with Sansa had improved, thanks to the help of their therapist, but that didn’t mean they were BFFs all day every day. “She and Jeyne are having a little ‘girl talk’ session,” Arya said. “And if I have to hear about how ‘yummy’ Gendry’s arms are for another second, I’m actually going to puke.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her brothers laughed as Gendry’s cheeks turned pink.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Theon handed out the stacks and started pulling from the pile of cards at his side. “Wait, was it just Gendry or did they say something about me?”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Ary glanced down at her hand and saw that she already had a pair of eights. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Robb scowled at his best friend. “Dude, what the fuck?”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What? Jeyne’s kinda hot.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Not that your ego needs any more inflating, but she did say you have nice eyes,” Arya said, picking up the first in Robb’s discard pile and placing it in front of Jon when she saw that it was a three. “Too bad nobody can see them behind all that hair.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She picked up another eight as her brothers began trading insults, always keeping one eye on the cards and  one on the center of the circle. Nobody had taken a spoon yet. She spared a quick second to glance at Gendry and noticed that he seemed content to be excluded from that particular exchange. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He was alternating between staring at his cards and glancing worriedly at the spoons in the center of the circle. Arya could admit that it was kind of cute how his eyebrows drew towards one another the more he focused on the task at hand. Kind of cute, but not really.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>No, definitely not. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Finally she got the fourth and final eight and slipped it into her hand, discarding an ace she’d had since the start of the game and discreetly snatching up one of the spoons as she drew her hand back from her discard pile.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A moment passed, then another, then someone (Theon, she thought) lunged for one of the remaining spoons and all hell broke loose. When the dust had settled, Gendry was the only one without a spoon in his hand.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Better luck next time, Waters.” Theon patted his shoulder sympathetically, then started gathering all the cards again. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Usually the loser would be out for the rest of the game, forced to watch as each match whittled the competition down to two opponents. Gendry was still learning though, so they decided to take mercy and let him stay in the game until he finally managed to snag a spoon after about six more rounds.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Despite how much fun she was having, Arya found herself yawning not long after. It was nearing one in the morning and she was tired from traveling. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Time for bed,” Jon chided, nudging her shoulder with his own. “Sansa and Jeyne are probably already getting their beauty sleep.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She didn’t even have the energy to argue. Instead, she rose from the floor and stretched while the boys began to do the same. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Hey, can I go grab some water before we go to sleep?” It was Gendry’s voice, low enough that it was hard to hear and deep enough that it carried over to Arya’s ears.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We have water bottles in the kitchen,” Arya offered. “I’ll show you where we keep them.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He offered her a soft smile and Arya realized that maybe Gendry wasn’t quite as grumpy or stoic as she’d thought. Maybe he was just shy. Or maybe it was a bit of both.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I'd appreciate that. Thank you.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No problem. I’m headed downstairs anyway.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She wished her brothers a good night and Let Gendry follow her out into the hall, suddenly very aware of just how short her sleep shorts really were. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Jon said you’re studying engineering,” she said as they descended the staircase. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yeah, mechanical engineering.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“And you fix cars?”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“For now, yeah. It’s not a bad gig, and the pay is decent.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They rounded the corner into the kitchen and Arya pulled one of the cupboards open to pull out a water bottle for him. Why her mother insisted on keeping them so high up, she would never know. Just as she was lifting up onto her toes to grab one, a long arm appeared in her field of vision and plucked one from the cupboard. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Gendry offered it to her silently, as if it were a peace offering.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m fine, thanks. You can fill it up from the fridge or the tap.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Well, Jon does keep insisting that New York’s tap water is the best.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“He’s right. LA’s water is garbage.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Gendry grinned at that. “I guess we’ll see.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He shut the sink off and turned towards her.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You can find your way back from here?”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thanks, Arya.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Maybe it was the way the moonlight was filtering into the room, or maybe it was her tired eyes playing tricks, but she could see what Jeyne meant. His hair was dark and disheveled from him constantly running a hand through it, and she could see the definition of his arms through his t-shirt. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was his eyes that made her pause though. They were the most unusual shade of blue she’d ever seen - clear and dark at the same time. They made her think of deep bodies of water. Or the sky when there’s only a sliver of sun left on the horizon. They were almost hypnotizing.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And she was staring.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Well, goodnight then,” she said, trying to make a hasty exit and hoping he hadn’t noticed.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yeah, you too.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They went their separate ways, and If Arya thought about those eyes as she fell asleep… well, that was nobody’s business but her own. </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Off-Limits</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Takes place when Arya is about 18 and Gendry is about 21. Originally posted on tumblr.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p></p><div class="">
  <p>It had only been two days, but Gendry was pretty sure he was going to go insane.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He didn’t know how they managed it, but all of the Starks had spring break at the exact same time this year, and their house was absolute chaos. He was grateful, of course, to have been invited to spend spring break with Jon’s family, but as someone who had been an only child for most of his life… it was a lot.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Mrs. Stark was having some sort of meeting upstairs, and Mr. Stark was holed up in his office on a conference call, so all twelve of them had been relegated to the basement for the afternoon as rain poured outside. Yes, twelve. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Despite the fact that they already had seven kids, the Starks always seemed to welcome extras. Dacey Mormont had arrived that morning with two of her sisters in tow. Rickon and Lyanna were off in the corner playing the most aggressive game of air hockey that Gendry had ever witnessed, Dacey had roped Robb, Jon, and Theon into an epic pool tournament, and Lyra had disappeared into the dance studio with Sansa and Jeyne about an hour ago. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He wasn’t certain, but he thought he’d caught Bran and Jojen sneaking off into one of the storage rooms a bit ago. They were probably just looking for a board game or something, he told himself. And if they weren’t… well, that was none of his business. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And then there was Arya…</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He wasn’t sure where she’d wandered off to, but he was grateful. It was hard enough being overwhelmed by the sheer social energy of the people around him. He didn’t particularly care to stack guilt on top of that. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>You’re overreacting</em>, he reminded himself. Maybe if he could just find somewhere quiet to clear his head, he could sort through his thoughts more calmly. He knew there was a  bathroom down here somewhere. If he could just remember where, he could hide out there for a while and get his head on straight. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He made his way past the bar - because of course they had a fucking bar in the basement of their mansion - and found a short hallway that jutted towards the front of the house. There were three doors, one on either side of the short hall and one on the end, so Gendry picked the one on the right.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was the wrong choice.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The problem was this: Jon’s little sister had become increasingly <em>less</em> little and increasingly <em>more</em> beautiful since he’d first met her two years ago.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And Gendry had noticed.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Even as she stood before him with sweat dotting her face and tendrils of her dark hair falling free from her ponytail, she made him want to step closer until she was within reach. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Oh good, I needed someone to pin me down.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What?”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“If you don’t mind, of course. I’ve been working on some new escapes lately.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Right. For her MMA stuff. That made a lot more sense.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He could do this, right? So she was pretty. What did it matter? That was just an objective observation. He knew lots of pretty girls and he didn’t feel the need to act like an idiot around them. Why should this be any different?</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Don’t look so scared, Waters. I promise I’ll leave your pretty face intact.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>His heart skipped a beat just as he huffed out a laugh. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>Oh.</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>That was why. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Because Arya wasn’t just pretty. She had a power over him that Gendry was beginning to fear. </p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I was actually just looking for the bathroom.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Was he crazy or did she look a little disappointed?</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Other side of the hall.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Right. Thanks.” And then, because he was a dumbass whenever she was within five feet of him, he added, “next time, yeah?”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’d like that. Just promise you won’t go easy on me.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sure.”</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>If he spent the next twenty minutes pacing the Starks’ inordinately large bathroom, trying to remind himself that Arya Stark was seven different types of off-limits, that was nobody’s business but his own.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Hazel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>Arya had hardly slept all night. The ringer on her phone had been all the way up, but she’d still woken every hour or so, worried she’d miss the call. It finally came around seven in the morning.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello?”</p><p><br/><br/>“Good morning! I hope I didn’t wake you,” Jon said, his voice ringing clear over the line.</p><p> </p><p>“No, not at all,” she lied, propping herself up on an elbow and flicking on the lamp next to the bed. Gendry stirred beside her, groaning as he toed the line between sleep and wakefulness.</p><p> </p><p>“Good. Did you want to come meet your niece?”</p><p><br/><br/>“Can we come right now?”</p><p><br/><br/>“Yeah, she arrived a few hours ago. We just wanted some time alone with her before everyone started showing up. Ygritte says she’s feeling well enough for visitors now.”</p><p><br/><br/>Arya practically bolted from the bed, earning some more grumbling from Gendry. “Okay, we’ll be there in like half an hour.”</p><p><br/><br/>“We can’t wait!”</p><p> </p><p>She ended the call and was immediately on the hunt for clothes to wear for the day.</p><p> </p><p>“Is it time?” Gendry’s hair was sticking out in every direction as he slowly began to come out of his sleep. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes. Jon said we can visit them at the hospital. C’mon, let’s go!”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, alright. Someone’s eager.”<br/><br/></p><p>They got ready for the day in record time and Arya placed a takeout order from Ygritte’s favorite diner as they brushed their teeth. By the time they arrived at the hospital she was nearly vibrating with excitement.</p><p> </p><p>The receptionist at the birthing center directed them to Ygritte’s room and Arya led the way down the hall. It was easy enough to find since Jon was standing outside the door, talking on the phone. </p><p> </p><p>“Alright, we’ll see you soon. Thanks, Dad. You too,” he said, then hung up the phone.</p><p> </p><p>“Where is everyone? I figured Robb and Sansa would beat us here,” Arya said. They all lived about the same distance from the hospital, but she and Gendry had made a stop along the way. </p><p> </p><p>“I only just told them,” Jon said. “We wanted you guys to meet her first.”<br/><br/></p><p>Arya didn’t say anything at that, just hugged her brother tightly. He knew what an honor that was to her, to be the first person in their family to get to hold her niece. </p><p> </p><p>Ygritte was sitting up in bed when they walked in, looking tired as hell, but happy. Her face lit up as she noticed the two of them and she opened her arms for Arya to hug her as well. </p><p> </p><p>“We brought contraband,” Arya told her, presenting her with the still-hot takeout bag. </p><p> </p><p>“You’re an absolute angel,” the redhead said, voice filled with sincerity. “You’d think after fifteen hours of labor they’d let me eat something that doesn’t taste like warm rubber.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fifteen <em> hours </em>?” Gendry’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. </p><p> </p><p>“The first is always the longest,” Ygritte said, already digging into the food they’d brought.</p><p> </p><p>“But she was worth it,” Jon said. He leaned over the rolling cradle that had been tucked into the corner and withdrew a tightly wrapped little bundle.</p><p> </p><p>“Arya, Gendry, this is our daughter,” he said proudly. “Do you want to hold her?”</p><p> </p><p>Arya called dibs and went to the sink to wash her hands. Jon had her sit down in front of the window before he placed the baby in her arms. She took care to support the little one’s head, grinning at the dusting of red hair peeking out from beneath her little hat. </p><p> </p><p>“Do we finally get to know her name?” Gendry asked. </p><p> </p><p>They’d kept the baby’s name a secret, despite Catelyn’s protests, for the entirety of Ygritte’s pregnancy. They’d claimed that they wanted it to be a surprise, but Arya had a feeling that they’d actually just waited until the last minute to decide and didn’t want to admit it.</p><p> </p><p>“Hazel,” Ygritte said. “Hazel Magnolia Stark-Wilde.”</p><p> </p><p>Hazel stirred as if she had heard her name in her sleep, trying to stretch her arms and legs against the blanket that had been wrapped around her. </p><p> </p><p>Gendry sat down next to her, watching their niece slowly wake up. “Hi Hazel. Welcome to the family. It’s a bit loud sometimes but you’ll get used to it, I promise.”</p><p> </p><p>“Smile,” Jon said, holding up his phone to take a photo of them.</p><p> </p><p>Arya flashed a quick grin, then went back to studying Hazel’s tiny face. “I think she’s got your scowl, Jon.”</p><p> </p><p>Ygritte snorted into her breakfast. “I told you so.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey! Don’t be a brat,” he jokingly scolded her. “And give Gendry a turn.”</p><p> </p><p>She was hard-pressed to give up the baby, but she did eventually show Gendry how to hold her. Hazel fussed at first when she was placed into his waiting arms, but Gendry rocked her slightly for a minute and she soon settled back down.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re a natural,” Ygritte praised him, watching the whole scene unfold. “We definitely picked the right people for the job.”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?” Arya glanced between her brother and sister-in-law.</p><p> </p><p>“Well,” Jon started, “we’ve talked about it a lot, and we’d like you two to be Hazel’s godparents. Only if you want to, of course.”</p><p> </p><p>“Obviously we’re not all that concerned about the religious aspect,” Ygritte added, “but if anything ever happened to us, we’d want her to stay with you two.”</p><p><br/>All it took was a glance at the way Gendry was melting over the little girl in his arms for Arya to know that they were up to the task. In fact, she had half a mind to rip her implant out and drag him back to their apartment to make one of their own. </p><p> </p><p>“We would be honored,” she assured them.</p><p> </p><p>“Whatever you guys need, we’re here for you,” Gendry added. “All three of you.”</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t long before the rest of their family began trickling in, all fawning over the baby and congratulating the new parents. Catelyn and Sansa both cried when they held her, though Arya suspected it was for two very different reasons. By mid morning she could tell that Ygritte was starting to wilt under all the attention, so Arya made a big show of gathering up her things and saying goodbye, hoping to subtly encourage everyone else to wrap up their visit as well. It must have worked because Ygritte sent her a thankful text as they were driving back home.</p><p> </p><p>“So, Uncle Gendry, do you feel any different?”</p><p><br/><br/>“About kids or just in general?”</p><p> </p><p>“Either, I guess.”</p><p><br/><br/>He shot her a heart-melting grin. “I definitely wouldn’t mind one or two of those,” he admitted. “It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be.”</p><p><br/><br/>“To be fair, we’re not the ones who have to take her home.”</p><p> </p><p>“True. As long as everything goes like it should, all we ever have to do is be the aunt and uncle that spoil her the most.”</p><p> </p><p>“Somehow I think we’ll manage.”</p><p> </p><p>They made the rest of the drive in silence, both deep in thought. Arya couldn’t help the way her mind wandered to the future and to thoughts of a baby of their own as they drove towards their apartment. Someday they would be the ones bickering about names and trying to pick godparents as they prepared for the arrival of their own child.</p><p> </p><p>She realized that she hardly wanted to wait.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Packing List</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Arya packs for her last tip before moving to Chicago. Too bad she can't figure out what she's forgetting. AKA  the "oops, we made a baby" chapter. Rated E, obviously.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>Arya glared in contempt at the suitcase lying open in front of her. She was leaving for Tijuana first thing on Monday morning and the last thing she wanted to do was pack. Actually, it was the second to last  thing that she wanted to do. The <em> absolute </em> last thing she wanted to do was write up the letter of resignation she would be turning in when she arrived back in New York. </p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t that she didn’t want to leave, it was just such a leap of faith. Going freelance could really open up her world creatively, but there was no guarantee that the risk would pay off. It wasn’t money that she was worried about, that was hardly ever an issue between Gendry’s inheritance and her trust fund,  but she did worry about what it meant for her career as a journalist. Mexico City had sparked a love of crime reporting in her, but few other opportunities for it had come up since she had returned. </p><p> </p><p>Even without her desire to chase a different kind of story, she still couldn’t stay. Gendry had taken her out on a spontaneous dinner date the month before, only to spring a huge surprise on her once they were done wining and dining. He’d been offered a promotion, a big one, in Chicago. He was so excited about the opportunity, and Arya knew deep down that it was time to move on from her company anyway, so they had decided to take the plunge.</p><p> </p><p>But first, she had to finish one last assignment for her current employer. And that meant finishing the part of her job that she hated most: packing. </p><p> </p><p>With a sigh, she turned away from the suitcase in front of her and opened her dresser. If she had to pack, she could at least be comfortable while she did it. She took off the clothes she had worn to the office that morning and pulled on one of Gendry’s t-shirts instead, letting the hem fall to her mid thigh. </p><p> </p><p>She was halfway through folding the shirts she wanted to bring when she heard Gendry get home. Feeling playful, she decided to greet him at the front door, running the short distance to him and jumping up to hug him around the neck.</p><p> </p><p>Gendry caught her with ease, supporting her with one arm under her butt and steadying her with one around her waist. “Hello to you too,” he laughed. “What’s got you so excited?”</p><p> </p><p>Arya nuzzled her face into the side of his neck, kissing behind his ear as he carried her towards the couch. “I missed you,” she said simply. “Can’t I be happy that my husband is home?”</p><p> </p><p>Gendry turned to sit and Arya tucked her legs up so she was straddling him when he lowered himself onto the sofa. “Of course you can, but you just saw me this morning.”</p><p> </p><p>Arya didn’t bother to respond, just kissed him deeply and let her body relax into his. Gendry Seemed more than happy to reciprocate, keeping one hand on her waist and using the other to grip her thigh as their kiss evolved from a sweet hello into something more seductive.</p><p> </p><p>“Not that I’m not enjoying this,”Gendry said, pulling back for a moment, “but I am seriously going to pass out if I don’t eat soon. I worked through lunch.”<br/><br/></p><p>Passing out mid-fuck was decidedly not sexy, so Arya gave him one more kiss and got up to start dinner. They decided on teriyaki chicken and Gendry got to work preparing the meat while Arya started the rice. Once she’d measured everything out and started the rice cooker, she walked towards the stove and rested her forehead between his shoulder blades, wrapping her arms around him from behind. Gendry continued stirring with his right hand, but rested his left hand over hers, intertwining their fingers so that their wedding rings tapped against each other. </p><p> </p><p>“Did you have a good day?” Gendry asked, giving her hand a squeeze.</p><p> </p><p>Arya hummed, turning to rest her cheek against his back so she could talk to him more easily. “Yeah, it was pretty good. I got a lot done this morning. What about you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not bad. Things have been really busy now that I’m getting ready to leave for Chicago. Marty wants my help picking my replacement.”</p><p> </p><p>They finished cooking while Gendry talked more about who was most likely to get his vacant spot, then discussed Arya’s final assignment as they ate.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re not having second thoughts about leaving, are you?” Gendry asked as he finished off the last of his rice. </p><p> </p><p>“No. It’s been a good job, but they’re never going to let me be more than one thing. If I want to write about the things that interest me, I have to leave.”</p><p> </p><p>He seemed to visibly relax at that answer, then rose, taking their dishes with him as he walked to the kitchen. Unlike their first few apartments, this one came with a dishwasher, for which Arya was grateful. As much as she loved watching the muscles of Gendry’s forearms flex as he scrubbed at plates and cutlery, the dishwasher allowed them to get to her favorite part of the night much more quickly. </p><p> </p><p>She helped him clean up, pausing for a quick peck on the lips every now and then. When they were finished, she grabbed him by the belt buckle and dragged him towards the bedroom, not minding at all if she seemed eager. “Let’s get you out of these work clothes.”</p><p> </p><p>“I see packing is going well,” he teased, glancing over at her open suitcase. It still sat half empty.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll pack later,” she said with a shrug, already working on his belt as she guided him to sit at the end of the bed. </p><p> </p><p>Gendry helped her with his pants, then his shirt, then dragged her to sit on his lap while he kissed her. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m really going to miss you,” she admitted as he kissed a path down the side of her neck. “Is that stupid?”</p><p> </p><p>Gendry drew back to look at her, brushing a bit of hair from her face. “Of course not. I’m going to miss you too, but it won’t be for long, and at least the weather there will be better.”</p><p> </p><p>Arya glanced out the window and saw that it had started drizzling. It was pretty typical for mid March in New York, and she knew that the storm would only grow in intensity. She didn’t mind so much when she had such a good reason to stay inside. </p><p> </p><p>Gendry worked his hands under her shirt, pushing up the hem until she was pulling back to pull it off. </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe I should go tanning while I’m there,” she mused, brushing her fingers over his scalp as his lips returned to her skin. “I could get rid of these tan lines from Barranquilla.”</p><p> </p><p>Gendry groaned, palming her breasts. “Only if you intend to send me lots of pictures.” </p><p> </p><p>She leaned in to kiss him once more. “That could be arranged.”</p><p> </p><p>She hardly had a moment’s warning before he was flipping her onto her back, causing her to squeak, then laugh at the ridiculous sound. He took his time kissing his way further down her body, following the path of his lips with his fingertips. Usually Arya would be impatient with his slow worship of her body, but she felt so unhurried tonight that she let the sensation wash over her. </p><p> </p><p>“Can I take these off?” He traced the seam of her panties with a fingertip.</p><p> </p><p>Arya only had to nod and he was sliding them down her legs, kissing the skin of her thighs and shins as he went. His fingers left her for only a moment, then returned to skim up her calf and between her thighs. He ghosted his touch over her clit a few times, then dipped his fingers lower into the slick warmth of her center. </p><p> </p><p>He hummed in appreciation, lips still pressed to the top of her thigh. “How long have you been thinking about this?”</p><p> </p><p>“All day,” she admitted.</p><p> </p><p>“Me too.” </p><p> </p><p>And with that, he plunged two fingers deep inside her, making her back arch off the bed. He was relentless as he pumped in and out of her, adding his tongue to the symphony of sensation. She buried her hands in his hair again, trying to anchor herself as the pleasure he was bringing her soared to new heights. </p><p> </p><p>She barely sensed it before her orgasm hit, radiating from her core and flooding her body with sweet pleasure. When the overwhelming sensation faded Gendry was still there pulling her through the haze with his fingers and a kiss to the hip.</p><p> </p><p>“C’mere,” she demanded, tugging at his hair. </p><p> </p><p>Gendry stood and stripped away the last of his clothing, allowing Arya to admire his physique as she recovered. It was only another moment before he crawled onto the bed, hovering over her as she nuzzled at his cheek.</p><p> </p><p>“I love you,” she murmured, kissing at his jaw. </p><p> </p><p>He brushed a bit of hair from her face before leaning down to capture her lips in a languid kiss. Arya sighed into it, practically melting into the mattress until he surprised her again by pulling both of them onto their sides so they were lying face to face. He hooked her heg up over his hip as he kissed her and Arya could feel his cock brushing against her inner thigh, hot and hard and already leaking. </p><p> </p><p>“I love you too,” he said softly, then thrust himself deep inside of her. </p><p> </p><p>Arya felt her breath escape her as the familiar fullness took over her mind. No, fullness wasn’t the right word for it… completion. That’s how she felt with Gendry. Complete.</p><p> </p><p>He kissed her gently as they set an unhurried pace, hands roving as they enjoyed simply making each other feel good, unconcerned with finishing for the moment. Gendry traced her spine with his fingertips and Arya sighed at the sensation. She wasn’t sure how long they stayed that way, content to just be joined. It felt like an eternity and an instant all wrapped into one.</p><p> </p><p>Her orgasm built slowly this time, ramping up as Gendry’s hands became bolder and his thrusts grew harder. He squeezed her ass just as he gave an especially deep thrust and she was lost to the fog of pleasure once more. Her head fell back as her thighs trembled and the air in her lungs escaped in a single gasp. She seldom had the patience to work up to such intense orgasms, but fuck did Gendry make them worth it. Her every nerve ending felt warm and tingling.</p><p> </p><p>She reached up to play with Gendry’s hair as his movements grew more desperate and she knew he was close. She kissed him again, just as she clenched her inner muscles around him and he was done for. She could feel the warm spurts of his release as she held him captive with her leg still over his hip.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m definitely going to miss that,” she smiled, brushing a bead of sweat from his forehead.</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>The next night, they were curled up together, spooning as Arya glared at her suitcase once more.</p><p> </p><p>“I feel like I forgot to pack something,” she insisted.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, it couldn’t have been that important then, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“I guess you’re right.”</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t until she did her final check the next morning that she realized what she’d forgotten.</p><p> </p><p>Her birth control pills.</p><p> </p><p>She quickly popped the two that she had missed into her mouth and put the rest of the pack into her carry-on.</p><p> </p><p><em> It’ll be fine</em>, she assured herself, then promptly forgot the incident for several weeks.</p><p> </p><p>And it was fine, even though she ended up pregnant.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. 1+1=3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The arrival of baby Stark-Waters!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I swear to God, I’m gonna punch Ygritte in the face next time I see her,” Arya seethed, falling back onto the pillows. “There’s nothing fucking ‘magical’ about this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gendry reached for the washcloth on the bedside table and wiped the sweat from her forehead. It was the only useful thing he’d found that he could do, besides letting her crush his hand every time a contraction hit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s gonna be worth it,” he reminded her, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, I want you to push on this next one, okay? Gendry, now would be a good time to get behind her,” Dr. Smallwood said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gendry did as she said and crawled behind Arya in the bed, ready to support her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t do this,” she whimpered as she let her head fall against his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let her grip his hands in anticipation of her next contraction and steeled himself for what was to come. “Yes you can,” he assured her. “You’re almost there, Arry. Don’t give up now. I’m so proud of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite her insistence that she couldn’t, Arya </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> push. Once, twice, then a third time, and suddenly there was a great deal of commotion at the other end of the bed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a girl,” Dr. Smallwood announced just as a loud cry cut through the noises in the delivery room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A girl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had a daughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dr. Smallwood laid her against Arya’s chest and all Gendry could focus on was how unbelievably tiny she was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi sweet girl,” Arya cooed, unfazed by how messy they both are. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dr. Smallwood let them have a long moment together before one of the nurses took the baby to get cleaned up and wrapped in a nice warm blanket. Arya looked understandably exhausted, but couldn't stop smiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Told you she’d be worth it,” he said, trying to keep her distracted as Dr. Smallwood and her medical student got Arya cleaned up and took care of the afterbirth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don't be a know-it-all,” she grumbled, still smiling as the nurse brought the baby back to them, all bundled up in the green blanket that Arya had brought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The birth certificate is all filled out,” Dr. Smallwood said. “We just need a name to put on it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arya glanced up at him. “You still like the one we picked?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had decided not to find out the baby’s sex to prevent their family from flooding them with what Arya called “unneccessarily gendered products.” Arya also knew that she was likely to let it slip if she knew, so they’d asked not to find out. So, they’d picked two names -one for a girl and one for a boy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked down at their daughter’s face and her tiny little fists, trying to decide if it suited her. It was so hard to decide when they’d only had her for a few minutes. Time would tell, he supposed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded and Arya let him fill everything out while she relaxed, admiring the newest member of their family. He sent out a text to their families while Arya got ready to be moved out of the delivery room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>She’s here! Nixie Danielle Stark-Waters. Dr. says she’s healthy and Arya is doing well. Pictures coming soon!</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sent the text, hoping that most of them were asleep at the ungodly hour. </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Even in Arya’s new room, he got little sleep. Arya had dozed off the second she was able, but Gendry had a hard time resting in the big chair next to her bed. Nixie was in the little crib between them, sleeping as soundly as Arya. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wanted to pick her up and never let her go again. He couldn’t believe how tiny she was with her teeny little hands and feet, and the cutest little nose he’d ever seen. She got that from Arya, he was sure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you slept?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked up to see Arya cracking her eyes open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah. I can’t stop looking at her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, you might have missed your chance. I’m sure she’ll be up wanting to eat soon. Come here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He joined her on the bed, sitting behind her like he had when she was in labor and wrapping her up in his arms. “How do you feel?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Weird. Gross. Tired.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re amazing,” he whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder. “And I know you probably don’t feel like it right now, but you are the strongest, most beautiful woman I have ever known. And look at what you made,” he added, following her gaze to where Nixie was still out cold. “She’s perfect.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>We</span>
  </em>
  <span> made that,” she reminded him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eh. You did all the hard parts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You texted my parents, right? I’m surprised my mom isn’t already here.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did, but it’s not visiting hours yet, and I figured you’d want to rest before people started showing up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gendry?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She paused for a moment, as if she was gathering her thoughts. “Would it be okay if we had her godparents come first, like Jon and Ygritte did with us? I think they’d like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They would love that.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Shireen barely made it into the room before she started tearing up. Rickon trailed slightly behind her, as if he was afraid his presence in the room would cause some sort of disaster. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did Mom and Dad already leave? I thought they’d be here,” he said, looking around in confusion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We wanted you guys to meet her first,” Arya said. Nixie was lying on the bed in front of her, taking in the world as well as she could by tossing her head from side to side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Shireen placed her hands over her chest and the tears threatened to start spilling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don't cry, Bean. You don’t want to get tears on your niece, do you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gave him a hug and Gendry could hear her take a deep breath, trying to compose herself. “Congratulations.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you. Do you want to hold her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded vigorously, making Arya smile. Gendry had her wash her hands, then sit down on the chair next to the bed. Rickon stood behind her so he could see the baby. Gently, Gendry lifted Nixie off the bed and placed her in his sister’s arms, pleased that she didn’t immediately start fussing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, she’s beautiful you guys. Hi Nixie, I’m your Aunt Shireen and that’s your Uncle Rickon. We’re gonna be your favorites, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, we wanted to talk to you guys about that,” Gendry said, seizing the opportunity to address what they wanted to ask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve been talking about it for a long time and we want you guys to be her godparents.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Shireen’s face lit up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rickon looked less certain when he raised his eyes from Nixie’s face to hers. “Are you sure? Aren’t you supposed to pick someone… more mature?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re plenty mature,” Arya assured him. “We’re not asking you to take her in if something happens to us or to do any of the religious stuff, we just wanted you guys to know that you have a special place in her life.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shireen started crying for real and Gendry had to take Nixie back before she got any tears on her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite his reservations, Rickon seemed excited to finally be chosen for godfather. He was already doing a terrible accent and quoting the classic movie by the time he got his turn to hold her. The two of them spent a little while longer fawning over the baby before leaving so Arya could feed her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gendry sifted through the many congratulatory texts he had received and sent one to their parents, telling them that Arya was ready for them to visit. It was barely a few seconds before he got multiple replies. Davos and Marya promised to be there soon, and Ned and Catelyn said they were heading over from their hotel in five minutes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the six months since they had found out about Arya’s pregnancy his parents had left LA, packed up their entire lives, and moved to Chicago to be closer to their grandchild. He and Arya had tried to tell them it wasn’t necessary, but he knew it took a weight off his wife’s shoulders to have them nearby. Besides, he wanted Nixie to grow up with lots of friends and family around to love her, and having them close was a big step towards that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think she has your eyes,” Arya said, pulling him out of his reverie. He realized he’d been staring out the window, watching the early December snow drift down to the sidewalk below. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t all babies have blue eyes?” Gendry turned to join her on the bed. He sat on the edge, looking down at his wife and daughter, trying to distinguish exactly who Nixie took after more. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was certain that she had Arya’s nose and his black hair. Only time would tell for the rest of her features. He wondered how tall she would grow and if she would get the same faint freckle across her nose that Arya did during the summer time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her eyes though, he couldn’t distinguish. They were definitely bluish, but much lighter than his and his half siblings’ eyes. Not Robert’s then. Still, they weren’t quite Arya’s distinctive Stark grey either. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A vision-like memory came over him and Gendry could smell Californian flowers and hear a sweet voice humming some eighties pop song. Her long blonde hair fell around her shoulders and when she looked up and smiled at him, Gendry knew whose eyes she had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She got them from my mom,” he said, sharing the sudden realization. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Arya smiled up at him. “She would have loved to be here, I know it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked at their faces, unable to grasp how such completely unbelievable people were somehow his. The fact that he and Arya had met, that they had stayed together and gotten married, that they had made the most beautiful baby he’d ever seen all seemed like a miracle. It was almost as if someone had been nudging him in the right direction his whole life to get him to where he was now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who knows,” he said. “Maybe she is.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Silent Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Arya struggles after Nixie's birth, forcing her to have a serious discussion with Gendry.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's not much, but I hope you guys will accept this little Christmas gift. Much love to everyone who continues to stick by this little universe and, by extension, me. I appreciate it so much.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>It was already dark out when Gendry pulled his car into the garage, parking alongside Arya’s small SUV. He grabbed his things and carefully navigated the path across the yard and to the back door with the help of the porch lights next to the kitchen window. After kicking his boots off on the steps, trying to loosen the snow that clung to them, he made his way inside and listened for any indication of where his wife might be. </p><p> </p><p>The house was completely silent when he closed the door behind himself, a rarity over the last three weeks. It was dark too, save for the lights on the Christmas tree in the front corner of the living room and a sliver of dim light peeking out from the door to the master bedroom.</p><p> </p><p>The door was open just a crack, so Gendry eased it inwards enough that he could slip inside and sidle up next to his wife as she stood over their daughter’s crib. It felt like they had only brought her home a few days ago, though it had been over two weeks. </p><p> </p><p>“How long have you been standing here?” he whispered.</p><p> </p><p>“I have no idea,” she admitted.</p><p> </p><p>He pressed a kiss to her cheek then studied her face as he pulled back. She looked content enough, though the shadows under her eyes betrayed how tired she was. He took her hand from where it rested on the small crib and led her out into the living room, closing the door softly behind them. They were close enough that they could hear Nixie if she started fussing, especially since the rest of the house was silent.</p><p> </p><p>“How was your day? I didn’t hear from you much,” he said. Going back to work the day before had been difficult. He missed Arya so much more acutely knowing that she was at home taking care of Nixie without his help. Marya had been over, which helped soften the blow, but he still knew that Arya was struggling to adjust.</p><p> </p><p>“It was okay. She was fussy this morning, but I think she tired herself out with all the crying.”</p><p> </p><p>There was something so clinical and succinct in the way that she said it, Gendry couldn’t let it slide. “Come sit with me, I want to talk,” he said, leading her towards the big comfy sectional that they had chosen when they moved in.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry. I should have started dinner half an hour ago,” she said, glancing at the dark street outside their window. “I lost track of the time.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine, we can just order in. Besides, you deserve a treat. You’ve been eating so healthy.”</p><p> </p><p>She shuffled a little as they reached the edge of the area rug in their living room. “I guess one night wouldn’t be the end of the world.”</p><p> </p><p>He handed her his phone then sat on the couch, drawing her down with him so that her legs were draped across his lap and she could lay her cheek against his chest. She tapped away at his phone, ordering for both of them without having to ask his preferences. Even after she finished and let the screen go dark they didn’t speak. They sat in silence with only the wind outside and the hum of the heater filling the slim space between them.</p><p> </p><p>“You seem down today,” he finally said, hoping she would lead the conversation.</p><p> </p><p>“Just tired. Nixie didn’t sleep well while you were gone.”</p><p> </p><p>He considered his next words carefully, not wanting to inadvertently belittle or insult her. “That’s understandable. This seems kind of different though. Are you upset with me? I can take more time away from work if you need me to. I don’t have to go back right after the holidays.”</p><p> </p><p>He’d really only gone to the office this week to check in with his team and grab a few things that he needed to work from home. The Christmas spirit had made everyone very merry and very not motivated, which Gendry couldn’t complain about. They had met all of their deadlines for the year and more than earned their holiday bonuses and some days off. </p><p> </p><p>“No, it’s not that,” Arya insisted.</p><p> </p><p>“But there is <em> something </em>. Arya, whatever it is, you can tell me. Even if you don’t think I’ll understand, I still want to help.”</p><p> </p><p>Her lip quivered just the slightest bit as she spoke again. “I don’t want you to be mad at me.”</p><p> </p><p>“I promise I won’t be mad at you,” he said, though it did make his heart stutter with worry. “Did something happen while I was gone?”</p><p> </p><p>Nixie had looked fine when they had been in their room, but it had been dark…</p><p> </p><p>“My mom called today,” Arya said, pulling him back from the trail his mind had been about to embark down. “She was asking about Nix and if we got our Christmas gifts in the mail. Then we talked about you being back at work for a couple days and she wanted to know how I was doing. I think she got a little jealous when I told her that Marya had been by. We were just chatting really, then she asked me when we were planning to try for another and I just… Gendry, I love Nixie more than anything but the thought of doing it all again just filled me with this crippling dread.”</p><p> </p><p>He pulled her tight to his chest, kissing the top of her head and cursing his mother-in-law’s greed. She had nine grandchildren already, but still felt the need to pester her daughter for more. They still couldn’t even have sex, for God’s sake.</p><p> </p><p>“That was awfully presumptuous of her,” Gendry groused. “Nixie’s not even a month old yet. Of course you’d be freaked out at the idea of having another baby right now.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not just that,” Arya said, not able to meet his  eyes as he looked down at her in worry. “I feel like I’m not even myself anymore. I haven’t been able to fight in months and it’ll be a long time before I’m back to where I used to be, it’s so much effort to go anywhere that I feel like I’m on house arrest, not that I want to go anywhere anyway because I feel like shit all the time. I’ve been bleeding for three weeks, it hurts to pee, my hair is falling out… I don’t even look like myself. I’m swollen and saggy and stretched out, but hey, my tits are huge. Granted, they hurt all the time and leak constantly, but at least they distract from my acne and the bags under my eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“Nothing that I used to care about matters anymore. A friend from my old work texted me to say they made a huge break in that crazy double homicide in Brooklyn and I wasn’t even excited. It’s not like I have the energy to write about it anyway, or the time. Even when I can get Nixie to sleep, there’s always something to do around the house and I really just want to stand over her crib to make sure she hasn’t randomly stopped breathing. I’m worried all the time that her swaddle is going to come undone and choke her to death, or the crib will collapse, or… I don’t know, <em> something </em> terrible will happen. Then everyone will know what a bad mom I am,” she finished, choking back her tears.</p><p> </p><p>Gendry could almost hear his heart shatter in his chest as he considered everything she had been quietly suffering through.</p><p> </p><p>“You are not a bad mom,” he said gently, letting Arya’s tears drip onto his shirt as he held her. “I’m so sorry I didn’t see how hard this is on you. How can I help, Arry? What do you need?”</p><p> </p><p>She wiped furiously at the tears that glistened on her cheeks. “I need you to not hate me if I say that I can’t do this again. I know we talked about having two or three, but I… Gendry, I’m miserable and I feel like it’ll just never end,” she admitted before quickly amending the statement. “I’m not saying that I regret it, because I don’t and I love Nixie more than I ever thought possible, but the thought of being here again in a couple of years…”</p><p> </p><p>“Arya look at me.” He waited for her watery eyes to find him and was dazzled by the way that the fairy lights behind them looked like stars in her irises. “I could never ever hate you, no matter what. I know that you don’t regret having Nixie, and I know that you would do anything for her because you are  an amazing mom and you adore her. I’m worried about you though. Maybe you’re just feeling this way because you’re in the thick of a really difficult time, or maybe you’ll feel this way forever. Whatever the case, I support you. I told you that we would have kids if, when, and how you wanted to and I still mean that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Remind me of that again in six months when my mother is pestering me for grandchild number ten,” she said, frowning.</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck what your mom wants. Fuck what anyone but us wants. You matter to me more than any hypothetical kids and it’s killing me to see you like this, Arry.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry, I…”</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”<br/><br/></p><p>“But Nixie would never have a sibling.”</p><p> </p><p>“So she never has a sibling. I was an only child until I was in high school. Did it scar me for life or make me socially stunted? No, it didn’t. And if it matters that much to you, I would love to do what your sister did and adopt. There are so many kids out there who just need a chance to be loved.”</p><p> </p><p>She sniffled again, though this time she seemed to have regained her composure a bit. “I think I might like that, giving a kid a good home.” She wiped a stray tear away and looked up at him again. “I’m sorry, I’m ruining Christmas.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not even Christmas Eve yet, and you haven’t ruined anything. I’m so glad that you told me how you’ve been feeling. Arya, would you consider getting some help? Maybe talking to a therapist would be a good idea. I know not all of this is psychological, but it may help you cope with some of the harder stuff.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll think about it,” she agreed. It was something people said to be dismissive but Gendry believed her.</p><p> </p><p>“Good.” He kissed her forehead and carried on peppering kisses all over her face between every word. “I just want to see you smile again.”</p><p> </p><p>He pressed a final kiss to the tip of her nose before pulling back, glad to see a smile stretching itself across her face.</p><p> </p><p>“I feel better already,” she whispered, leaning up to steal a kiss of her own while Gendry brushed her hair back. “Can you just hold me for a minute? I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed this.”</p><p> </p><p>“Anything you want,” he assured her.</p><p> </p><p>They sat in silence for a long while, though it was a warmer, more serene silence than the one that had hung in the air before. They spent time stealing kisses and watching snow fall outside the window, twinkling like diamonds as it caught the Christmas lights that were hung over the porch. Something about a thick blanket of fresh snow seemed to make the whole world pause around them and Gendry didn’t mind one bit. He wanted these fleeting moments to last as long as possible.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The More the Merrier</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Come home with me,” Jon said. “We always have a ton of guests on Thanksgiving, nobody will mind another.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A blast to the past. Back to Gendry's first year at Cornell for this one! Hope you guys like this little chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“You want one?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gendry looked up from his homework to see Jon stepping through the door to their shared lounge area with a six pack of beers in hand. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What would Sam say?” he teased.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jon just shrugged. “When the cat’s away, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gendry glanced over to their third suitemate’s door, which he had closed and locked before heading to the airport that morning. He had no doubt that the room beyond was spotless and meticulously organized. He liked Sam, even if he did wake up way too early and get a little too excited about the chore chart he had made.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He closed his textbook and set it aside, clearing a spot for Jon on the sofa next to him. “Why not? I can’t possibly cram more information into my head right now anyway.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They opened two of the bottles and enjoyed their first sips in silence. All that they heard was the hum of the heater pushing dry air through the vents and the muffled footsteps of their upstairs neighbor as they undoubtedly stuffed a bag for the long weekend.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So when are you leaving?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was Jon who had broken the silence and Gendry turned to glance at him before speaking.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not. Plane tickets are too expensive to justify the cost for a four day trip, so I'm just staying here.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jon furrowed his dark brows. “You’re just going to be here all alone?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gendry shrugged and took another sip. It was decent beer, not that he was an expert.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come home with me,” Jon said. “We always have a ton of guests on Thanksgiving, nobody will mind another.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I don’t want to impose. I’m sure you guys want to have family time.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Seriously, it’s no big deal. I’ll ask my dad right now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jon pulled his phone from his pocket and typed a quick message despite Gendry’s protests. The response was nearly immediate.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“See? The more the merrier.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well at least Davos and Marya will be relieved,” he thought aloud. “I appreciate it, really.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Any time,” Jon said as if it were hardly anything at all. “Who are Davos and Marya?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gendry tried to hide his discomfort behind a sip of beer. “My foster parents. They still keep up with me even though I aged out of the system.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. My foster brother, Theon, was with us for eight years. My dad wanted to adopt him but I guess there were a bunch of legal issues and it never worked out. You’ll get to meet him tomorrow, actually. He goes to college near where we grew up.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How many siblings do you have, exactly?” It seemed like he mentioned a new one every time they talked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Six including Theon.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gendry nearly choked on his beer. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Six?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not as crazy as it sounds,” Jon laughed. “It can be fun, actually.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How am I supposed to keep them all straight?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Easy, I’ll teach you.” Jon pulled his phone out again and opened his photos, pulling up one of him and two other boys. The one on the left was tall and lanky with a hint of stubble on his face and dark hair dyed blue on the ends. The one on the right was Jon’s height with auburn curls and bright blue eyes that were a few shades lighter than Gendry’s. “That’s Theon on the left and Robb on the right. Oldest to youngest.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Robb goes to Notre Dame, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jon nodded and pulled up a new picture, this time of a girl in a glittering white tutu and a face of heavy makeup. Her hair was slicked back against her head and partially concealed by a tiara but he could see that it was red like Robb’s and Gendry wondered if Jon was the odd man out of his siblings. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s Sansa,” Jon explained. “She’s a junior this year. And that’s me with Arya.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He swiped to a new photo of him standing next to a girl in some sort of martial arts uniform laughing and holding a trophy as Jon tried to ruffle her tightly braided hair. The resemblance between them was striking and Gendry certainly didn't miss it. They had the same dark hair and warm-toned skin, as well as matching grey eyes. Even in photo form it was clear that they had a deep bond.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You look a lot alike,” Gendry noted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jon hummed in agreement and swiped through a few more photos. After a moment, he landed on one of a boy with russet hair and blue eyes sitting in a wheelchair and holding some sort of award while the girl that he now recognized as Arya sprinkled confetti over his head. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s Bran last school year. He won the science fair at his school with a research project on how some fungus could have instigated the Salem witch trials.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds cool. I’ll have to ask him about it,” Gendry said, wondering if it would be alright to ask about the wheelchair. Maybe he’d just been injured? Or was it more permanent?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s paralyzed,” Jon added suddenly. “I could see you trying to decide whether or not to ask.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry.” Gendry could feel his ears going red with embarrassment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s alright. It’s normal to be curious. Besides, better for me to tell you now than for you to ask him over dinner on Thursday. He had an accident a bit before his tenth birthday. Robb took him and a couple family friends, the Reeds, out hiking. There’s this trail that runs along a big ravine near our house and that’s the one they decided to hike that day. It was a really rainy summer that year and there was a lot of erosion. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Some trees had fallen in the ravine from a big storm and Bran went to go climb out on one that stretched across the ravine. Robb started yelling at him to come back, but he just kept walking out further and further. He was always a real daredevil as a kid, so it was normal for him, but then this huge bird flew down close to his head and scared him and…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He fell,” Gendry guessed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jon nodded solemnly. “Robb said it was almost a twenty foot drop. He hit his head on the way down and broke his back when he hit the ground, and he was all scraped up from the tree branches he ran into. Robb thought he was dead.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened?” Gendry’s beer sat completely forgotten now. He was too wrapped up in the story to bother with the last few sips.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jon gave a small laugh. “I mentioned he was with family friends? The Reeds are really outdoorsy people. Meera, the older one, is a bit of a girl scout. We used to tease her for overpacking every time we went hiking, but thank God she did. She had some rope in her backpack. It wasn’t nearly twenty feet, but enough that she could slide down the more shallow part of the ravine, then tie it to a tree and sort of rappel down the steeper part.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Robb called 911 while she made her way down and they had to yell updates to each other. He wasn’t breathing when she got to him, so she had to start CPR without knowing what kind of injuries he had. The dispatcher coordinated with the park ranger and the ambulance to get them out to him as fast as possible, but Meera ended up doing chest compressions on Bran for nearly ten minutes before her brother made his way down to help her. I know that doesn’t sound like that long, but imagine doing ten straight minutes of push-ups without ever slowing down.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“But she saved his life, obviously. He’s alright now?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, she kept him alive. He was in really bad  shape though. He was paralyzed from the waist down, obviously, and he was in a coma for a while. He had a traumatic brain injury, TBI is what the doctors call it. We didn’t know what would happen when he woke up, or if he even would. He fared surprisingly well, all things considered, but he still has a seizure disorder from the TBI. He’s got a service dog in training to help with his mobility and to alert when he’s about to have a seizure.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it permanent?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Maybe, maybe not. The doctors can’t say for sure.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gendry leaned back against the sofa. “Wow… I don’t even know what to say. I’m really sorry that happened to him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It was scary, but I think Robb had it the worst out of us siblings. It’s still a pretty fresh wound for him and Bran.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t mention it,” Gendry swore.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I appreciate it. Bran still struggles with the way things are now, so I’m glad you know what to expect.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s the youngest, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, we almost forgot Rickon! Story of his life, honestly. That’s probably why the kid is such a hellion,” Jon laughed, scrolling once more until he found a picture of a redhead boy in a soccer jersey. He had wild curls that apparently matched his wild personality, and an almost undetectable smattering of freckles over his nose. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Cute kid,” Gendry said, guessing he was around Shireen’s age. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Lucky for him,” Jon smirked. “Here’s all of us at Easter this year.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He showed Gendry a crowded family portrait in which Jon and his siblings were joined by a tall dark-haired man and a slender redheaded woman that had to be their parents.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You and Arya look so much like your dad.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“She does. I look like my mom, actually.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gendry looked from the red-haired woman to Jon and back again, trying to pick out any sort of resemblance. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not my mom,” Jon interjected, obviously seeing his confusion. “I’ve always called her ‘mom’ but she’s actually my aunt. My ‘dad’ is my biological uncle.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you’re his sister’s kid?” It was the most logical explanation given how similar he looked to the man who had raised him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jon nodded. “Yeah. He hardly ever talks about her, I guess it hurts too much, but I’ve pieced a lot of it together from what my Uncle Benjen has told me. She was right between them in age, so she was pretty close with them both.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“She would have been just barely twenty when I was born, a sophomore in college. She went to the same school as my dad, but he was a senior her freshman year so he had graduated by then. Uncle Benjen says that school year was hell for her. She spent all summer hiding her pregnancy from everyone, her ex was hounding her to try and get back together, her dad found out she was pregnant when she came home for break and flipped his shit. She ran off to stay with my dad after that and the house burned down that night with my grandpa and Uncle Brandon inside.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Holy shit...”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jon sighed. “Yeah, turns out it was a sign of things to come. She insisted on going back to school the next semester, despite everything. She ended up going into labor in the middle of a lecture and delivering me all alone in the hospital. She had a hemorrhage and died not long after my dad, my uncle, got there. Uncle Benjen said that my dad only talked about it once. He said it’s like she was fine one moment, and then the next everything was just chaos.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe it was the beer, or maybe it was just curiosity, but Gendry couldn’t hold in his questions anymore. “What about your dad? You bio dad, I mean. Was it her ex?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, they were only together for a couple of months at the start of her freshman year. Besides, he was a good friend of my dad’s and I don’t look anything like him. I don’t know who my father was. I think my dad knows, but he won’t say anything no matter how many times I ask. He just says ‘he passed before you were born’ and moves on.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gendry let out a bitter scoff into his drink. “Yeah, I know that one. My mom used to give me the same when I asked about my dad.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t know him?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gendry shook his head. “My mom was working at a hotel bar when she had me. I figured she had a one night stand or some sort of fling with a guest. She wouldn’t tell me anything about him and it always drove me crazy as a kid. I’d walk down the street wondering if every guy with black hair that I saw could be my father.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jon raised his bottle in a mock toast. “Cheers to that. At least you knew what to look for. I don’t think I got anything from my bio dad.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, maybe it was an immaculate conception,” Gendry chuckled, tapping Jon’’s bottle with his own. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They sat in silence for a while, finishing the last few sips of their drinks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want to pry,” Jon started out suddenly, “but can I ask how she passed?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Leukemia,” Gendry said, looking down at the floor. “It was pretty bad by the time they found it. She only lived for a few more months after the diagnosis.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gendry stood, gathering up the empty bottles and bringing them to the recycling bin. “Not your fault. You feel like dinner? I was going to walk over to the dining hall.”</span>
  <span></span>
    <br/>
  
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Jon seemed to understand that the conversation was over, for which Gendry was grateful. Heavy stuff always drained him and he wanted to move on now. It was rare to find friends who understood that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jon nodded and rose from the couch. “Let me grab my coat.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Day After Friday</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Do you have any idea how hard that is to get monogramed?"</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>elsewhere23 asked to see Cat's reaction to Arya and Gendry's baby news, so here's a chapter that takes place literally the day after the final scene of FIiL.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There they are,” Gendry said just as Arya heard a car slow to a stop in front of the house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She picked her bookmark up off of the small table to her side, marking her page as she removed her feet from the spot on the porch railing where she had previously propped them up. Her parents’ car came to a full stop in front of the little pathway that led from the sidewalk up to their house and Ned and Catelyn were quick to emerge. Arya and Gendry met them on the sidewalk and they took turns hugging one another.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it’s even cuter than in the pictures!” Catelyn exclaimed, appraising the house for the first time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The landscaping was a bit sparse, Arya thought, but it would fill in over time. Otherwise, she was thrilled with the house. All the stress of buying it remotely, trusting someone else to manage the renovations, and the expense of hiring a decorator to help them make it feel like home had been worth it. They were nice and settled in after only a handful of weeks and Arya was so grateful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want help carrying your bags in?” Gendry offered, glancing between her parents.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catelyn waved a hand. We’ll get it in a minute, let’s have a tour first!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arya and Gendry shared a glance, knowing what awaited them on the tour but not saying a word. The two of them had only known about her pregnancy for a short while, but the secret would be out once her parents laid eyes on the fully furnished nursery on the second floor. It seemed fitting since Arya had suggested putting a crib in the room to tell him that she was pregnant in the first place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, a quick tour sounds good,” Arya agreed. “Then we can help you bring everything in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry,” Ned assured her, “I was extra careful with your china.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her parents had taken it upon themselves to drive out to Chicago in order to deliver many of Arya and Gendry’s wedding gifts, including a colorful Morrocan style dining set that Arya had been struck by while Sansa hauled her all over town to force her to put things on her registry. She was glad to hear it had been handled with love and thanked her dad as the four of them walked up to the front door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had to admit that the interior of the house was a departure from the subtle and earthy exterior. The walls were painted a light, warm grey with charcoal trim and matching doors. The large sofa to the right was equally dark, but packed with brightly colored pillows in a variety of textures. All of the colors in the main living area coordinated with an abstract painting that she had purchased while on a mini honeymoon to Portland after they’d had their first anniversary vow renewal in front of their friends and family back home. Splashes of yellow, orange, and turquoise stood out against the greyscale of the rest of the house and brought the space to life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arya decided to skip her and Gendry’s bedroom, which was off to the left, and lead them deeper into the house first. Gendry showed off his brand new birthday present, the air hockey table that Arya had gotten him, then led his in-laws to the kitchen and dining area where her mother gushed over the nice appliances and lamented that there wasn’t enough storage. Arya reassured her that there was plenty of space and that they had a pantry for larger items. They poked their heads into the laundry room and the half bath at the bottom of the stairs and Arya  could tell that Catelyn didn’t love her choice to use black hexagon tiles instead of white, but she didn’t say anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arya led them upstairs and to the left, being careful to leave the nursery for last. The upstairs bathroom was… well, just a bathroom. Nothing to write home about, Arya thought, but her mother admired the chevron tile pattern in the shower. Her office was a hit with her dad and both of her parents liked that the small sofa where she liked to take phone calls was able to pull out into a double bed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rickon keeps talking about visiting after the soccer season ends,” her mother said. “We thought it would be fun if all three of us came out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arya had to keep herself from laughing. For Rickon, soccer season never ended, just adapted to the weather.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And here is your room,” Arya said, opening the door to the guest room for them. They’d gone with a neutral blend of black, white, and tan and picked decorations that nodded towards their home cities by placing maps of New York and Los Angeles over the bed and dresser respectively. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The dresser is empty if you guys want to unpack anything, and there’s some room in the closet too,” Gendry said as Ned and Cat took in their accommodations. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The house turned out beautifully,” Ned said approvingly, patting Gendry’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you two.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s over here?” Catelyn asked, wandering over to the door of the nursery.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just some odds and ends we’re not using yet,”Arya told her, sharing a look with Gendry. Her husband stifled a laugh. “You can look  if you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her parents didn’t need further invitation. Catelyn pushed the door open and revealed the room beyond. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arya had to admit that she was pretty in love with what the decorator had done. She’d talked them into an accent wall of green foliage-patterned wallpaper on a soft white background that brought lots of light and color into the room. The large rug on the floor was a pale blue that matched the lone curtain on the opposite wall, and the few pieces of wall art throughout the room carried on the leaf motif. They’d chosen modern furniture in a mixture of natural maple and white, which Gendry had not initially been sold on but grew to like. Overall, it was the perfect place for the baby that her parents did not yet know that she was carrying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well… they knew now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catelyn’s hands flew to her face as she gasped, taking in the crib, the changing table, and the glider in the corner. “Oh my word! Arya?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both of her parents fixed their eyes on her, anxiously awaiting an explanation for the contents of the room. As if it weren’t obvious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gendry rested a comforting hand on her back and Arya let herself smile. “I’m due at the end of November,” she confessed, causing Catelyn to squeal with joy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my goodness! Can you believe it Ned?” Her mother smushed her into an enthusiastic hug, which Arya tried to grin through. She could see her dad and Gendry exchanging one of those weird handshake hugs out of the corner of her eye. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m so happy for you, Sweetheart,” Ned said, sparing her from the clutches of her mother in order to give her a hug of his own. She could see tears in his eyes and had to fight back some of her own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, don’t cry!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re happy tears, I promise.” He grinned down at her, practically bursting with emotion. It was more than she had expected from her normally stoic father. Even on her wedding day he had held it together quite well, but this was proving to be very different. “I’m happy for you, Sunshine. You’re going to be a great mother.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think so? It was a little… unexpected.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave her a watery smile, holding her face in his hands like he used to when she was a child. “I know so. And I’ll tell you a little secret about the unexpected things in life,” he leaned in close to whisper in her ear, “they’re the absolute best part.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He brushed a quick kiss against her cheek. “Yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you know what you're having?" Catelyn cut in, obviously teeming with excitement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, we're pretty sure it's human, but it's hard to tell from the ultrasound."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mother shot her an unamused glower while Ned tried to disguise a bark of laughter as a cough. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Arya Meave, you know what I meant. Is it a boy or girl? I need to know what color blanket to make."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mom, I'm not even in my second trimester. And besides, Gendry and I have decided that we don't want to find out beforehand. Why don't you just make it green to match the nursery?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mother chewed on the idea for a minute. "Well, I've never made a green one before. I suppose it <em>could</em> be nice to try something new."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arya gave her a smile, trying to convey how pleased she was with her mother's tiny departure from tradition. "That would be great."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, and we need to talk about names! Did you have any ideas yet?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She watched as her husband and father shared a look, mutually agreeing that it was time to make their exit under the guise of unloading the car.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Gendry..." she hissed, willing him to stick this out alongside her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'll be back in a few minutes," he assured her planting a kiss on the top of her head and grazing a hand over the tiny bump between her hips. "Can't have you lifting anything, can we?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She glared after him as he made his retreat, not quite processing the background noise that was her mother's baby name idea list.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Minisa is nice, don't you think? And you could do Irish middle names like I did with you and your siblings!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Errr... it's nice, just not really our style, Mom. We were thinking maybe Zoe for a girl? Or something to honor Gendry's mom."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sobered at that. "Of course. Im sure Gendry wishes she were here. Still, we are going to make sure that little baby Waters is so loved that they don't even know what to do, right?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Stark-Waters," Arya corrected her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catelyn rolled her eyes. "Oh not you too. What ever happened to having one family name? I mean, for goodness sake, Alex and Libby have five names each. Do you have any idea how hard that is to get monogramed?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Margery's family name is important to her, just like mine is important to me and Ygritte's is important to her. I don't know about the double middle name thing though. I think that's just because she's southern."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mother scoffed. "She's from Atlanta, it's hardly the center of the confederacy."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well I think their names are nice," Arya said, trying to defend her sister-in-law. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Better than Hazel," she groused. "These plant names are getting ridiculous. What happened to Rose and Lily? Those are classic."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arya took a deep breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe they'd keep their name choices to themselves...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She brushed a hand over her stomach just as Gendry had done earlier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don't worry kiddo, we won't let her talk us into anything. </span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Surprise (at the) Party</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Arya shrugged. “I suppose we can call it karma.”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Arya had to admit, their house felt decidedly less spacious when half of their extended family was crammed inside for a child’s birthday party. It was plenty big enough when it was just the three of them, or when Marya and Davos came over for dinner, or when Rickon and Shireen came by to spoil their goddaughter for a few hours. It was definitely at capacity now though, and Arya felt it acutely. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was grateful that it hadn’t been their entire family, especially considering that the vast majority of Nixie’s cousins were under the age of five. Robb, Jon, and Sansa had all been unable to come, which Arya couldn’t be upset about at all. It didn’t make sense for them to come all the way out to Chicago when she and her little family would be in New York for Christmas in just a few short weeks. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her parents had come though, insisting they wouldn’t miss Nixie’s first birthday for the world. Davos, Marya, Shireen, and Rickon all lived in Chicago now, so there had never been any question about their presence, and Edric had even agreed to come once he heard that his half sisters would be there too. Meera and Mya were staying in the guest room upstairs for a few days, which had been nothing but fun so far. Bran and Jojen had made a trip out of it, renting a hotel and everything, and Bella had arrived with a charming young man on her arm who was currently working overtime to win over her half siblings.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She scanned the packed room again, looking for the two people that should have been the easiest to find out of all of them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Dad, have you seen Rickon?” she asked. “I wanted to get a picture of Nix with her godparents before she gets covered in cake.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ned thought for a moment. “I was talking to him a bit ago. I think he went upstairs to find the bathroom.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Arya thanked her father, then navigated the clusters of people in order to make her way to the stairs. Once she had tracked down Rickon, she could try to figure out where Shireen had wandered off to, then they could get their picture and start serving cake. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>All of the doors at the top of the stairs were closed </span>
  <em>
    <span>except</span>
  </em>
  <span> for the bathroom door, oddly enough. She tried the door to Nixie’s room, thinking maybe he had gone to use the bathroom attached to the nursery, but both were empty. Maybe he had gone somewhere private to take a call? It wouldn’t be unheard of.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She poked her head into the guest room, trying not to invade Mya and Meera’s privacy any more than necessary. Nothing. That only left her office, which she had to admit was a good place to get some solitude. She could already picture Rickon sprawled out on her little sofa with his feet dangling over the armrest and his phone pressed to his ear. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> expect to find him sitting on said loveseat with his hands up Shireen Baratheon’s floral skirt and his lips pressed firmly to her neck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She had expected something along these lines to happen at some point, just not in her home office on her daughter’s first birthday. Otherwise… pretty predictable.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She wasn’t an idiot. She saw the little glances they stole when they thought the other wasn’t looking, the way Shireen blushed furiously when Rickon caught her gaze, the way they made each other laugh, and how they always seemed to be sitting a hair closer than friends would on the sofa when she and Gendry got home from date night. They’d been friendly when they first met, then formed a proper friendship in college, and now… well, now they were doing this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gendry owes me twenty bucks,” she remembered aloud, causing the two of them to spring apart. Shireen would have crashed to the floor if not for Rickon’s grip on her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Arya!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>For once in his life, her brother looked utterly flustered as he tried to put Shireen’s clothes back in order, as if that would make her un-see what had been going on.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not…” Shireen started, then let the sentence trickle off. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not what it looks like?” Arya laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure you were just helping her fix her panties, weren’t you, Rickon?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck off,” he growled in frustration.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Arya just laughed at their discomfort. “Seriously guys, on your goddaughter’s first birthday? At least wait until the cake and presents are done.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did we miss the cake?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Rickon looked more concerned about that idea than the fact that his sister had just found him two minutes away from fucking his brother-in-law’s cousin on her office sofa.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I wanted to take a picture of Nixie with her godparents before we let her slather herself in icing, so…” she gestured for them to hurry up with her hands.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Right. We’ll uh… we’ll be right down.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now both of them were blushing and Arya came to a horrified realization about the placement of Shireen’s skirt.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my god. Your dick is out, isn’t it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He shot her a guilty smile that was more of a grimace and Arya felt a twinge of actual anger.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Rickon Maddox, are you fucking serious? At a child’s birthday party? You have three minutes to get it together,” she hissed, then turned around to make her way back downstairs. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, do you know where Shireen went?” Gendry asked when she returned to the kitchen to get the cake ready. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kind of wish I didn’t,” she responded quietly. “Oh, and you owe me a twenty.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He furrowed his brow, then realization dawned on his face as he remembered their bet — that Rickon and Shireen would be together before the end of the year. Or, in his case, that they wouldn’t. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re kidding me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Arya shook her head. “Not even a little.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna fucking kill him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, do we not remember the Jon fiasco? Let’s not repeat history. They’re both consenting adults and Shireen can make her own choices.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He huffed out a breath but eventually agreed, muttering something about Rickon being a bad influence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In the end they were able to get a nice picture of Nixie with her godparents, then watch her shove both hands directly into the little cake that Arya had made just for her to destroy. Apparently it was a hit because she proceeded to shove fistfuls into her mouth without a care in the world for the frosting smeared all over her face. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>“So, are we talking about it yet?” Arya asked, walking up beside her youngest brother after the cake had been cut and distributed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They’d found themselves on the outskirts of the party, in a corner near the laundry room that allowed for a fairly quiet conversation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know what there is to say.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Arya gaped at him. “Umm… I don’t know, how about an apology for having your dick out at a child’s birthday party?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>out</span>
  </em>
  <span> out,” he said defensively.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Arya shot him a look.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, I’m sorry. Happy?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, not happy at all. When did this all happen? Why didn’t you tell me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We haven’t told </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he admitted. “We didn’t want people to think it was weird or something. You know, because you and Gendry are already married.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Rickon, our sister-in-law’s brother is married to my husband’s uncle. My husband’s half sister is married to my best friend, who also happens to be the older sister of our brother’s fiancee. Our aunt used to date Gendry’s dad in college and our sister is married to the guy who gave me boxing lessons in high school. Trust me, this family’s threshold for complicated relationships is pretty fucking high.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her brother rubbed at the back of his neck, trying to figure out what to say next.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Look, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span> sorry about what happened upstairs. We just were talking and then I got caught up in the moment… it’s not Shireen’s fault.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Arya shrugged. “I suppose we can call it karma.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her baby brother shot her a confused look. “What do you mean?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Jon never told you how he found out about me and Gendry, did he?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s just say that what goes around comes around.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her brother quirked an eyebrow at her. “Is that why you guys were fighting during spring break the year you two got together?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Arya gaped at him. “I thought you didn’t notice.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>wish</span>
  </em>
  <span> I didn’t notice. I’m quite astute, you know.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh so you’ve had your zipper down for the past half hour as a fashion statement?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Rickon’s hands flew to his jeans, quickly fixing the situation as his cheeks colored. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You couldn’t see it in the pictures, so what did I care?” She shrugged. “Besides, I know you’re very </span>
  <em>
    <span>astute</span>
  </em>
  <span> about that sort of thing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, fuck off.”</span>
</p>
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